Resilient bollard with rotatable collar for alerting vehicles of their location

ABSTRACT

The present invention is directed to a bollard made of an elongate member having a lower proximal end biasedly attachable in an upright position to a path surface, an upper distal end, and a longitudinal axis. A collar is attached to the elongate member about its upper distal end. The collar is rotatable about the longitudinal axis of the elongate member. When such bollard is mounted on or adjacent a path surface, the bollard is deflectable from its upright position about its proximal end, e.g., when contacted by a vehicle. The collar rotates when in contact with the vehicle for following the contour of the vehicle without damaging the vehicle. Specific bollard configurations are disclosed herein along with numerous attachments with which the inventive bollard can be outfitted.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to bollards such as are used to alerttraffic of an obstacle to be avoided and more particularly to a bollardwhich is designed not to be destroyed when struck by a vehicle and whichdoes not damage the vehicle when struck.

Many types of roadway barriers have been proposed over the years andmany varieties presently are in use. Bollards or post can be placedbetween lanes of traffic for traffic lane delineation or placed inparking lots to control where vehicles can travel. Bollards also can beplaced adjacent drive-through windows of restaurants or an automaticbank teller machine (ATM) to protect the building and direct the vehicleto a proper position adjacent the window, and like uses. Fixed bollardsare not desired in many of these instances as they can cause damage tothe vehicles when struck which damage can result in significant claimsbeing paid by the owner of the property and/or their insurance carder.Collapsible bollards are known in the art, though often thesecollapsible bollards themselves are damaged when struck by a vehicle or,more typically, damage the vehicle so that the owner of the propertyagain is exposed to potential damage claims. Some of these prior bollardproposals are set forth below.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,602,109 shows a barrier assembly comprising a series ofindividual guard-roll barrier units which comprise a series of invertedfrustroconical rollers which guide an errant automobile along a safepath. U.S. Pat. No. 5,105,347 shows that bollards can be illuminated.U.S. Pat. No. 4,515,499 shows that traffic lane bollards can be mountedon a spring for providing a return mechanism when struck by automobiles.U.S. Pat. No. 5,018,902 proposes a bollard which is collapsible with anordinary fire hydrant wrench. U.S. Pat. No. 4,373,464 proposes a bollardwhich has a flexible column surrounded by a coil spring which has acover thereover and is collapsible when struck by a vehicle. U.S. Pat.No. 3,442,187 shows a similar spring containing bollard which collapseswhen struck by a vehicle.

Despite the proposals for collapsible bollards, there still is asignificant need in the art to design a bollard that can be collapsibleso that the bollard itself is not damaged each time it is struck by avehicle while concomitantly protecting the vehicle against damage whenthe bollard is struck by the vehicle. The present invention is directedto such a bollard development.

BROAD STATEMENT OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a bollard made of an elongatemember having a lower proximal end biasedly attachable in an uprightposition to a path surface, an upper distal end, and a longitudinalaxis. A collar is attached to the elongate member about its upper distalend. The collar is rotatable about the longitudinal axis of the elongatemember. When such bollard is mounted on or adjacent a path surface, thebollard is deflectable from its upright position about its proximal end,e.g., when contacted by a vehicle. The collar rotates when in contactwith the vehicle for following the contour of the vehicle withoutdamaging the vehicle. Specific bollard configurations are disclosedherein along with numerous attachments with which the inventive bollardcan be outfitted.

Advantages of the present invention include a bollard which can bedeflected from its upright position when contacted by a vehicle withoutdamaging the bollard while concomitantly minimizing any damage to thevehicle. Another advantage is a bollard that is easy to manufacture andinstall. Another advantage is a bollard design that can be used in awide variety of situations from controlling foot traffic to bicycletraffic to vehicle traffic. These and other advantages will be readilyapparent to those skilled in the art based upon the disclosure containedherein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a bank automatic teller machine (ATM)having a pair of the inventive bollards established in a curb adjacentthe machine for preventing vehicles from accidentally striking themachine when driving up to the machine for using it;

FIG. 2 is a perspective elevational view of the inventive bollard in itsfixed upright position with an automobile striking the bollard shown inphantom as well as deflection of the bollard from its upright positionshown in phantom;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional elevational view of the inventive bollardtaken along line 3--3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the upper cap or dome of the bollardshowing a TV camera mounted therein; and

FIG. 5 is a view like that of FIG. 3 showing an alterative bias mount, adifferent number of rollers about its upper distal end, and a differentupper cap or dome arrangement.

The drawings will be described in detail in connection with thefollowing description.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

One of the applications for the novel bollard disclosed herein is tocontrol automobiles from coming too close to and/or strikingdrive-through structures, such as found in restaurants and banks.Illustrative of the present invention, then, is ATM (automatic tellermachine) 10 as shown in FIG. 1. It will be observed that automobilesapproach ATM 10 via drive 12 wherein curb 14 is intended to keepvehicles from striking structure 16 which houses ATM 10. In order forthe passenger to reach the control panel of ATM 10, however, it islocated close enough to roadway 12 that a vehicle can strike itunintentionally. Thus, bollards 18 and 20 are intended to prevent theautomobile from striking ATM 10. Such bollards, however, when made ofrigid metal or the like, can damage the automobile, resulting in a claimpotentially being filed against the bank. Bollards that are flexiblealso can damage the automobiles which does not lower the claim risk tothe bank. Inventive bollards 18 and 20 have collar pairs 22 and 24,respectively, which roll along the contact area of the vehicle forpreventing (or at least minimizing) any damage to the vehicle. Thebollards are resilient in that they can be deflected from their uprightposition when sufficient force is applied to them by the automobile andthen return to their upright position once contact by the vehicle iseliminated.

Such deflection can be seen by referring to FIG. 2 wherein bollard 26 isshown being struck by automobile 28 (in phantom) which causes bollard 26to be deflected to the phantomed position identified at 26a. A pair ofcollars, 30 and 32 (and correspondingly 30a and 32a for deflectedbollard 26a shown in phantom) rotate about the longitudinal axis ofbollard 26 for minimizing any damage to vehicle 28. When vehicle 28 ismoved out of contact with bollard 26a, bollard 26a returns to its normalupright position 26.

Looking to FIG. 3 which is a sectional view of bollard 26 taken alongline 3--3, it will be observed that bollard 26 is securely attached toconcrete 34 at its lower proximal end with a biasing assembly, showngenerally at 27; although, it should be understood, that bollard 26could be embedded in pavement, earth, or layers of such materials. Intoconcrete 34 is placed rigid lower elongate hollow tube 36 which can bemanufactured of, for example, polymeric material or metal optionallyconstructed of or treated to be resistant to corrosion. Upper elongatehollow tube 38 is spaced apart from tube 36 with rubber grommet 40sealing such gap therebetween and sealing tube 36 to concrete 34, e.g.,to prevent infiltration of moisture, din, or like foreign matter.

Coil spring 42 is disposed within both tubes 36 and 38 under compressionfor providing connection therebetween. The spring constant is designedsuitably so that a minimum force is required for deflecting bollard 26from the upright position to its deflected position as depicted at FIG.2.

Upper distal end of tube 38 has a hole penetrating in end plate 44through which elongate member 46 is inserted and welded at its lowerproximal end, as at weld 48. Mounted around elongate member 46 arecollars 30 and 32 which rotate about longitudinal axis 31 (see FIG. 2)of bollard 26. Ball bearing assemblies 50-56 permit collars 30 and 32 tofreely rotate when contacted by an automobile or other vehicle. As suchcollars rotate, they follow the outer surface and configuration of theautomobile which controls the angle of deflection of bollard 26 andminimizes damage to the vehicle in contact therewith.

Mounted atop bollard 26 is illumination fixture 58 composed of plate 60which is screwed onto the threads formed in the upper distal end ofelongate member 46, dome 62 which suitably is made of light transmissiveplastic (optionally colored or tinted) material, and light bulb or LED64 which is connected to a source of electrical power via line 66. Itwill be appreciated that fixture 58 could simply be colored material,light reflective material, or even video camera 68 as shown in FIG. 4.In other words, there is virtually no limit to the function andaccessories which can be adapted to fixture 58 depending upon locationand use of bollard 26.

It will be appreciated that a variety of mechanisms for flexiblymounting the bollard to the ground suitably can be envisioned inaddition to the coil spring depicted in FIG. 3. For example, analternative biasing arrangement is shown generally at 71 in FIG. 5 forbollard 70. For bollard 70, elongate annular sleeve 72 also is embeddedin concrete or other ground material 34 (lower proximal end of bollard70) with upper elongate member 74 also in spaced-apart relationshiptherefrom. Flexible protective sleeve 76, suitably made of elastomericor plastic material, covers tube 74 and extends down to ground level ofconcrete 34. Sleeve 76 can provide additional protection to the bollard,can add color to the bollard, can contain advertising, can containdirections for traffic, or the like. Mounted atop tube 74 (upper distalend of bollard 70) in upper plate 78 is elongate member 80 which also iswelded in position at its lower proximal end, as at weld 82. The upperdistal end of elongated member 80 is threaded for receiving cap or dome84 which suitably can be, for example, brightly colored or lightreflecting, plastic, metal, ceramic, or other material. Collars 86-90are retained about elongate member 80 and similarly ride upon ballbearing assemblies 92-102. It will be appreciated that one or morecollars can surmount the bollard. For that matter, the collars canextend all the way down to the ground if necessary, desirable, orconvenient.

The mechanism permitting the bollard to be deflected from its uprightposition and return subsequent to being struck by an automobile,however, is much different than the coil spring mechanism shown inconnection with FIG. 3. Disposed down into tube 72 is resilient member104 which bears upper ball 106 at its upper distal end. Extending intolower proximal end of tube 74 is flexible member 108 which has a lowerhemispherical recess adapted to tightly fit and conform to ball 106.Such ball and joint assembly of members 104 and 108 secure lower tube 72to upper tube 74 and permit upper robe 74 to be deflected from anupright position when bollard 70 is struck, for example, by a vehicle.Resiliency is provided by flexible member 110 which extends throughmember 108 and 104, and is secured by pin 112 to lower proximal endmember 104 and tube 72. Upper ball 114 at the upper distal end of pin110 secures flexible rod 110 at its upper distal end as shown at FIG. 5.By suitably adjusting the flexibility or resiliency of members 104, 108,and 110, the force required to deflect bollard 70 from an upright can bedetermined and designed.

It will be appreciated that a variety of additional means for permittingthe bollard to be deflected from an upright position by a vehicle andreturn after contact is discontinued can be envisioned by those skilledin the art based upon the disclosure contained herein. For that matter,the upper and lower tubes shown for bollards 26 and 70 need not be madeof metal, but can be made of polymeric (plastic) or even ceramicmaterial depending upon needs and requirements of the bollard. Inasmuchas the bollard can be used for safety purposes to protect property asdepicted at FIG. 1, to delineate traffic, and a variety of other uses,the materials of construction may change as would the degree of forcerequired to deflect the bollards. Such uses also will dictate the cap ordome assembly that will surmount the bollard. While concrete 34 has beenshown as the path surface in which the bollard is mounted, it will beappreciated that virtually any material can have one of the novelbollards mounted thereinto.

I claim:
 1. A bollard, which comprises:(a) an elongate member having afirst diametric extent and extending along a longitudinal axis from anupper distal end to a lower proximal end; (b) a collar freely rotatablymounted about said elongate member along said longitudinal axis, saidcollar rotating freely about said longitudinal axis when said collar iscontacted by a moving vehicle; (c) an upper elongate tube having anupper distal end coupled to the lower proximal end of said elongatemember and a lower proximal end biasedly attachable to a path surface,said upper elongate tube having a second diametric extent extendingbeyond the first diametric extent of said elongate member; and (d) abiasing assembly coupled to said upper elongate tube for attaching thelower proximal end thereof to the path surface, said biasing assemblyorienting said bollard in a normally upright position and providing forthe resilient deflection thereof from said upright position when saidbollard is contacted with a predetermined amount of force by said movingvehicle.
 2. The bollard of claim 1, wherein said biasing assemblycomprises:a lower elongate tube having an upper distal end resilientlycoupled to the lower proximal end of said upper elongate tube and alower distal end for fixed attachment below the path surface; and aflexible spring member which extends between a first end housed withinthe lower proximal end of said upper elongate tube and a second endhoused within the upper distal end of said lower elongate tube foreffecting the resilient coupling therebetween.
 3. The bollard of claim1, wherein said bollard contains a source of illumination mounted atopthe upper distal end of said elongate member.
 4. The bollard of claim 1,wherein said bollard contains a video camera mounted atop the distal endof said elongate member.
 5. The bollard of claim 1, wherein said biasingassembly comprises:an upper elongate tube having an upper distal endcoupled to the lower proximal end of said elongate member and a lowerproximal end; a lower elongate tube having an upper distal endresiliently coupled to the lower proximal end of said upper hollowelongate tube and a lower distal end for fixed attachment below the pathsurface; a first annular elastomeric member housed within said lowerelongate tube and having an upper ball which extends beyond the upperdistal end of said lower elongate tube; a second annular elastomericmember housed within the lower proximal end of said upper elongate tubeand having a hemispherical recess, said upper ball of said firstelastomeric member snugly fitting within said hemispherical recess ofsaid second elastomeric member; and a third elastomeric member whichextends through said first and said second annular elastomeric memberfor effecting the resilient coupling between the upper distal end ofsaid lower elongate tube and the lower proximal end of said upperelongate tube.
 6. The bollard of claim 1, further comprising a ballbearing assembly interposed between said collar and said elongatemember, said collar being freely rotatable about said longitudinal axison said ball bearing assembly.
 7. The bollard of claim 1, which ismounted into a path surface.
 8. The bollard of claim 1 having aplurality of collars mounted along said longitudinal axis.
 9. Thebollard of claim 1, wherein said elongate member is rigid.
 10. A methodfor alerting vehicles on or adjacent a path surface comprising the stepsof:(a) providing a bollard, which comprises:an elongate member having afirst diametric extent and extending along a longitudinal axis from anupper distal end to a lower proximal end; a collar freely rotatablymounted about said elongate member along said longitudinal axis, saidcollar rotating freely about said longitudinal axis when said collar iscontacted by a moving vehicle; an upper elongate tube having an upperdistal end coupled to the lower proximal end of said elongate member anda lower proximal end biasedly attachable to a path surface, said upperelongate tube having a second diametric extent extending beyond thefirst diametric extent of said elongate member; and a biasing assemblycoupled to said upper elongate tube for attaching the lower proximal endthereof to the path surface, said biasing assembly orienting saidbollard in a normally upright position and providing for the resilientdeflection thereof from said upright position when said bollard iscontacted with a predetermined amount of force by said moving vehicle,and (b) mounting said bollard on or adjacent said path surface forcontact by said vehicle for alerting said vehicle of its location. 11.The method of claim 10, wherein said biasing assembly of said bollardcomprises:a lower elongate tube having an upper distal end resilientlycoupled to the lower proximal end of said upper elongate tube and alower distal end for fixed attachment below the path surface; and aflexible spring member which extends between a first end housed withinthe lower proximal end of said upper elongate tube and a second endhoused within the upper distal end of said lower elongate tube foreffecting the resilient coupling therebetween.
 12. The method of claim10, wherein said bollard is provided with a source of illuminationmounted atop the upper distal end of said elongate member.
 13. Themethod of claim 10, wherein said bollard is provided with a video cameramounted atop the distal end of said elongate member.
 14. The method ofclaim 10, wherein said biasing assembly of said bollard comprises:anupper elongate tube having an upper distal end coupled to the lowerproximal end of said elongate member and a lower proximal end; a lowerelongate tube having an upper distal end resiliently coupled to thelower proximal end of said upper hollow elongate tube and a lower distalend for fixed attachment below the path surface; a first annularelastomeric member housed within said lower elongate tube and having anupper ball which extends beyond the upper distal end of said lowerelongate tube; a second annular elastomeric member housed within thelower proximal end of said upper elongate tube and having ahemispherical recess, said upper ball of said first elastomeric membersnugly fitting within said hemispherical recess of said secondelastomeric member; and a third elastomeric member which extends throughsaid first and said second annular elastomeric member for effecting theresilient coupling between the upper distal end of said lower elongatetube and the lower proximal end of said upper elongate tube.
 15. Themethod of claim 10 wherein said bollard further comprises a ball bearingassembly interposed between said collar and said elongate member, saidcollar being freely rotatable about said longitudinal axis on said ballbeating assembly.
 16. The method of claim 10 wherein said bollard has aplurality of collars mounted along said longitudinal axis.
 17. Themethod of claim 10, wherein said elongate member if said bollard isrigid.